Expect little change in direction of the state’s business-recruitment agency under its new management. Pete Antonacci, a former general counsel for Gov. Rick Scott who was appointed last month as president and CEO of Enterprise Florida, said Monday he intends to maintain the goals of the agency’s board, which is chaired by the governor.
Without surprise or intrigue, the full board of Enterprise Florida (EFI) on Monday hired lawyer and Gov. Rick Scott loyalist Pete Antonacci to be its next leader. The former lobbyist had been recommended as the new CEO by the jobs-recruiting agency’s executive committee during a conference call last week. Scott chairs the EFI board of directors as governor.
Enterprise Florida’s Executive Committee named Mike Grissom interim CEO Tuesday, a day after the embattled agency’s CEO abruptly resigned. Former CEO Chris Hart IV resigned after serving only three months on the job. Stan Connally, vice chairman of the Enterprise board of directors, hastily called the meeting Tuesday and nominated Grissom, who served as interim CEO last year. Grissom is the current executive vice president of the economic development agency. “Mike Grissom served in the previous interim CEO role,” said…
Enterprise Florida (EFI), the state’s public-private economic development agency, is aiming to hire a new CEO on a tight timeline — by September. Members of the agency’s search committee held a brief organizational conference call Thursday. Discussing the job ad soon to go out, committee member Carol Craig suggested it make clear they need a candidate “strong on legislative experience.” “That’s a really big deal, especially with everything that’s gone on the past,” said Craig, CEO of Cape Canaveral’s Craig Technologies. Bill Johnson, EFI’s immediate…
Amid a major shakeup pushed by Gov. Rick Scott, the Florida agency responsible for luring jobs to the state is paying nearly a half-million dollars to departing employees. Florida taxpayers are picking up the majority of the cost for severance payments and payouts for unused leave. Records requested by The Associated Press show that 10 departing employees at Enterprise Florida are receiving more than $430,000. Rank-and-file state workers are not allowed to receive severance payments, but employees at Enterprise Florida…